Tuesday’s lineup vs. Marlins’ Josh Johnson and his 1.61 ERA

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has witnessed and documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This will be his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. A second title, Giant Splash, is due to be published by Triumph Books in April 2015.
Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

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Yep, I agree with Bochy on today’s lineup, Rowand earned a start today based on last night’s performance. Let’s hope he can stay hot (and not try to pull a slider low and away).

Shane

Did Bochy not learn anything from Rentawreck’s AB’s yesterday? 0-5 with 2 K’s. He should start Rholinger instead.

Ignatz

Rpuck – Man, Nolasco was lights-out last night, wow. I could only dream….

I hope Romo was taking notes all night long.

Not wild about tonight’s line-up, but Burrell did not come up to expectations, and Rent was a wreck, so I thought it might be a night to throw Nate and Ryan to the wolves….

Huff just looked tired – not any slam intended as he’s carried a load for a long time – so I expected he’d get tonight off…..

Go Giants! I’ll be pulling for the kill.

cheapbeer

So baggs takes the week off before the AS game to report that Timmy isn’t playing, then takes the week off before the trade deadline?

Any chance we can turn this sucka over to Pavlovic now as AB is clearly done with this gig?

And how does Rentaheadache get to play after two late inning swinging strike out last night?

Giant PITA

I have to agree with Shane (#2) on Renteria. How sad it was watching him get blown away by 88 and 89 mph fastballs in the 7th and then strike out on ball 4 in the 9th. Dude is done!

Humm Baby

Posey should be at 1st tonight after taking one on the head last night. No way should he be catching. Uribe at SS and the Panda at 3rd and Nate in the OF with Torres and Huff. Bring in Ishi late if needed.

The Wisdom Cow

Johnson’s ERA is gonna take a hit tonight, 6 earned in 4.1 innings.

rpuck

Fellas (& ladies?):

It’s basically a playoff situation from here on out. Giants have to win as many games as possible (no sh1t sherlock). That includes games like tonight with Cain up against the top pitcher in the NL.

If you can’t beat Nolasco or Johnson at home (I know this is unfair…)

then go home.

Why bother going to the dance if you don’t know the steps.

Point is, how much better do you think the Cardinals, Reds & Braves & Padres are than the Marlins? Marginal differences. The NL is mired in mediocrity this year.

However, if you can sneak into the dance and fake a few moves, maybe the Giants can walk out with the most popular girl: a date with the Yankees in the World Series.

It may just take the right combo of moves by the quickly approaching non-waiver deadline.

http://www.fire-sabean.com fire-sabean.com

OK, we have done pretty well against JJ, so I’ll go in with high spirits.. A split in this series is still OK, we have a big series after this one to look forward to but lets just get a split here…

EZANO

I thought Panda was back today? I must’ve been off by a day. Can anyone confirm that he should be back in the lineup tomorrow?

I realize that with Panda gone and Burrell starting to look like the guy we got from TB, Bochy is short on options. But it really hurts me to see Rowand and Renteria both in the lineup, and hitting back to back. So sick of Renteria’s seeming lethargy out there.

FormerlyReadytohangmyself

Rowand in CF means Torres ain’t.

Ignatz

EZANO – Panda in the house, jet lag worries, so no game time.

Lisa

ugh – Renteria looks lost up to bat. I’d rather have Rohlinger play! At least he’s young and can run!

KENNY POWERS

Renteria makes me vomit…well, actually Krukow & Kuiper do when they talk about his great hitting approach, his great bat control & his steady glove as if he is still the great SS he was years ago. He has the softest near 300 batting average in the history of baseball. Thanks goodness he is gone after this season. =) Rowand did earn a start with that clutch HR last night, but I fear he will have 2 k’s tonight & prove why he belongs on the bench. LET’S GO GIANTS!!!!!

And why can’t we have the guy who is putting up better numbers than Posey did in AAA get called up.

Brandon

I agree with this lineup. Let’s see if we can give Johnson a no-hitter as well!

The Wisdom Cow

Talks with the Brewers for Cory Hart and/or Prince Fielder are “Dead in the water.”

Woohoo!

Jake LaRivers

I bet Eugenio Velez could do a better job at the plate right now than Renteria.

Someone

#19 That’s great news. I just hope that doesn’t mean we’re after Guillen now.

seattlegiants

Get Renteria out NOW!!! I would much rather have Rohlinger in there, this is just ridiculous..reminds me of the waning days of Grissom, Durham, Tucker, Aurilia, …that’s enough of that nice trip down memory lane..Please, Please get us a SS, any SS will do…DFA Renteria NOW!!!

Rent is toast if from D alone. DFA him, please. Woo Hoo on no Hart and Fielder and please, no Guillen.

DProfessor

Someone mentioned that Huff looks a little beat. He is 33-years old and hadn’t played the OF for a while.

Why burn him out in the OF now that Buster is behind the plate where he belongs?

Getting Dunn or Fielder would be great, but cost J. Sanchez or (more likely) Bumgarner, and it would mean Huff would be playing the OF all the time.

Perhaps that’s what Sabean is thinking when he’s looking into another OF. But if he’s going to do that, Jose Guillen does NOT fit the bill. It would have to be someone like Willingham.

Would the Nats would take Ishikawa plus a pitching prospect. (I say Ishikawa merely because of the logjam of potential 1B in the system: Belt, Pill, Joesph, and even possibly Villalona).

http://www.giantsgalore.com Giant Sophomore

I’m telling you – Jeff Fletcher from AOL just tweeted that we picked up Scott Posednick from the Royals.

FormerlyReadytohangmyself

Good catch Soph, first I’ve heard. I’m sure we’ll hear more as it gets out.

The Wisdom Cow

That tweet say “in on” Pods, not trade done. Not sure if it means the deal is done, maybe just in advanced stages because of the prospects discussed regarding DeJesus.

The Wisdom Cow

“RT @JeffFletcherAOL: Source confirms #sfgiants in on podsednik. They reportedly already had agreed on prospects for DeJesus, so pieces of deal there. #royals”

Mordy From Monsey

Posednik? Gimme a break….If it’s in place of Rowand, thats one thing, but another OF is not what we need…LH reliever, experienced setupman, legit power bat and SS is what we need now in that order…

rpuck

What is this place ?

WikiLeaks MLB ?

Vegas Nate

Another night full of Edgar choking should be great. That guy is garbage. Please pull a hammy!

Jimmy J

This is the most current thing I could find on Podsednik:

“Scott Podsednik Drawing Strong Interest”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [July 26, 2010 at 10:40pm CST]

NL West teams are bombarding the Royals with interest in Scott Podsednik, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star confirms the report (via Twitter) and so does Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Rosenthal suggests the Giants, Padres and Dodgers could be fits. The Giants and Padres have been linked to outfielders for weeks now and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti recently said he wants to add outfield depth.

Podsednik, 34, has a .309/.353/.399 line with 29 steals in 41 attempts. It’s a carbon copy of the season he put together last year, when he batted .304/.353/.412 with 30 steals in 43 attempts. Teams know what they’re getting in Podsednik: a speedy left fielder who can play center and get on base.

The Royals signed Podsednik to a team-friendly deal that guarantees the outfielder $1.65MM this season (about $580K remains). The team has an option for 2011 worth $2MM, but Podsednik will likely be able to void it. He had 421 plate appearances entering today’s action and needs just 525 to neutralize the option.

The Mighty Sumo

I think “in on Pods” means in discussion. No one else is reporting a trade.

My money’s on Ned Coletti in this little sweepstakes. Besides, the Giants need bullpen help, not another outfielder….

Billy Bob Bean

Edgar is garbage?

His Pythagorean Q is less than 1.0 and his Euclidean Index is 2.3! 2.3!!!

Just look at the numbers!

rpuck

Podsednik ?

Better add than than your knee-jerk implies.

Currently Torres is the only guy on the roster that can steal a base and leg out an infield hit. Okay, I’ll give Schierholtz some credit, afterall its an infield single here and there that keeps his average above .220.

Burrell is the one-dimensional yanker that the Rays dumped. No purpose in continuing to trot him out there.

Huff needs to play more 1B.

Rowand is Rowand.

Schierholtz is Shierholtz.

Giants need outfield help. Why not get a guy who is getting on base reasonably well and can get to second base while upsetting the pitcher’s rhythm?

Don’t forget: Small ball is essential to playoff success.

QTLAW

Renteria is such a bad look, thank goodness last night is over.

Posednik is a guy who can get on base with speed, something besides Torres we have been sorely lacking. That’s not bad but I think a healthy DeJesus would have been better.

Clueless

Is Mark DeRosa available?

He’s a pretty good ageing outfielder I hear.

Svetlana

Svetlana says in Russia peaceniks are tolerated but posedniks have weasels in their babushkas.

ура!

meow

Well switching herpes boy and Renteria in the lineup should make the difference.

meow

Rowand earned himself a couple months of starts with that cheap homerun last night.

The Mighty Sumo

With Pods, I’m more concerned about what we’d give. He would be a HUGE upgrade over Nate. But at the same time, he shouldn’t demand a large premium. Hopefully, Sabean can separate the two and not get fleeced.

keen observer

The guy who caught Rowand’s ball looked pretty good last night.

Why not give him a start in center?

hey now

Here goes Boch…he is ready to go on a full tilt Renteria and Rowand bender. Don’t be surprised if this is the straw that breaks the camels back. THEY DON’T WIN WHEN THEY BOTH PLAY.

The last 11 games where Rowand and Renteria both started, guess what the Giants record was? 3-8. That’s a 37% win percentage, good enough for the cellar in the NL West.

I mean…Rowand has ONE GOOD GAME and Bochy is back on the horse. Have we not established that there only use on this team is when they are absolutely an irrelevant spot in the lineup?

Again: HERE WE GO.

Bochy just never learns. Never.

Giant PITA

Why not talk to the Astros about Hunter Pence? At least he’s not old and ready to conduct the late career collapse like so many of Sabean’s veteran (reald OLD guy) acquisitions.

FormerlyReadytohangmyself

If getting Pods would guarantee that Rowand would never get another start, it might be worth it. If making a different move would mean Rent never sees the field, please do it now.

FormerlyReadytohangmyself

The guy who caught Rowand’s ball looked pretty good last night.

Why not give him a start in center?
__________
He deserves it more than Rowand.

Nathan Cruikshank, Psychologist

There is a strange new form of obsessive compulsive disease (OCD) where one person (usually a middle-aged male) keeps writing another person’s name down. Over and over and over.

I guess Bochy was tired of winning. . . Rowand and Renteria. . . . we feel for you Cainer!

KENNY POWERS

Posednik is the young power bat this team needs right? Why did I allow myself to get behind Sabean again & believe that he would go back to the chance taking, aggressive GM he was a decade ago. I AM AN IDIOT!! Bochy will never have my backing, but now I try not to complain about things we all know are gonna happen as long as he is our skipper. Vets, vets, vets & more vets, even when they are clearly washed up & hurting the team.

FIRE SABEAN

Edgar Diarenteria is a piece of rotting garbage. He’s useless offensively and defensively. Can’t believe we’re paying $18.5 million for that loser!! Our $15 million a year middle infield is clutchless and doesn’t have enough range defensively.

The Wisdom Cow

Pods would be a great upgrade in the OF without giving away too much. He is probably about the perfect fit. Willingham would be better, but would cost too much. Guillen is not much different than a slightly more consistent Burrell, not worth giving up prosepects for such a slight upgrade. Speed works for this fan.

Pence? They’d only want Cain+, OR MadBum, Sanchez, Belt, and Neal.

While a lefty in the bullpen is a pressing need, the cost would be too much for Downs, and Romo or Affeldt should be back reasonably soon, with Willis a possibility as well.

Ray Kinsella

No one is ever washed up in Bruce Bochy’s field of dreams.

Hey Shoeless Joe! Want to play left field tonight?

El Jefe

Prospects?

We don’t need no stinking prospects!

bradley emden

I thought the Panda was supposed to be back tonight

Fickle Giants Fan

DFA Posey!

NOW!

Giant PITA

Cow, Sanchez should not be off the table in my opinion. Madbum is off limits. Cain is a keeper too. Sanchez is never going to be more than he is right now. He has great stuff, but can control it with any consistency. Basically, he’s a .500 pitcher. We’ve seem him long enough to know what he is. I’d trade him and some prospects for Pence right NOW.

KENNY POWERS

Cody Ross hit home run, then tosses bat & does a crow step. Krukow starts making it seem as if Ross commited a mortal sin. Has anybody watched Huff pose & flip his bat after some of his homeruns? Krukow always points out other teams “not playing the game the right way.” He is such a hypocrite & a bafoon. Krukow, call it like you see it, down the midle, for both teams douche bag. Can someone please tell me why Mr. Ed’s kid sister “Amy G” is on these broadcasts. SHE IS WORTHLESS & HORRIBLE!! Who did she sleep with to get hired? Come on GIANTS, let’s get this win.

Giant PITA

KP, Mr. Ed’s sister!!! LOL I thought she was John Elway’s kid sister, but I was wrong!

That was a playoff atmosphere tonight – on a Tuesday night – and a very impressive win after last night’s tough loss.

Gary Radnich just called the Marlins “a scrappy little team.” He’s an idiot. The Marlins are a playoff caliber team AGAIN this year. Scrappy? We’re going to see two more games just like this one because these two teams are NL heavyweights right now, and they both punch HARD.

I wish this was a seven game series. Maybe we’ll see one between them in October.

Opguy

Uh oh…the Giants won with both Renteria and Rowand in line up…despite the vitriol above. “Couldn’t happen,” but did.

Oops, Renteria had the game winning HR and Rowand had two hits.

Perhaps even the most maligned might have a role to play on this team. Maybe Bochy is wise to keep them involved, despite all the expert fans’ rabid and most certain opinions to the contrary.

rpucky-san’s haiku corner

Tonite’s baseball game
makes me a true believer:
They are contenders!

Ramiro

Jimmy J, can you explain to me why the Marlins are a playoff team? Is it their 50-50 record?

Someone

No one expected that from Renteria.

But obviously now he will go 11-152, tricking us all into thinking he’s horrible, and suddenly get the game winning hit taking us into the playoffs.

Jimmy J

Ramiro, my friend, they may not be a playoff team when all is said and done – but the Marlins finish strong year after year, and one of the universal truths of baseball is that the teams that finish strong get to play in October.

Everyone keeps talking about the Marlins as if they have no shot and they should be selling the farm – just like 1997 and 2003. They are in the hunt to the very end every single year – and nobody gives them credit.

It’s not the first 50 games or the second 50 that separate the men from the boys in a 162 game season. It’s the last 62.

Both of these teams will be in it to the end.

FIRE SABEAN

Renteria gets a temporary reprieve, that homer turned out to be the difference with Uggla jacking one out in the 9th. Good job Edgar, wonder where that was the night before!

Also Sanchez FINALLY picks up a clutch RISP RBI basehit.

Fickle Giants Fan

“Temporary reprieve” from whom, FS?

You?

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You are nothing.

http://www.fire-sabean.com fire-sabean.com

hate to say i called it but i did say

OK, we have done pretty well against JJ, so I’ll go in with high spirits.. A split in this series is still OK, we have a big series after this one to look forward to but lets just get a split here…

just saying

Some Guy

Renteria may have k’d last night with the game on the line (and it hurt) but it was a quality AB. Saw a bunch of pitches and (I believe) fouled a couple off. Swung at a bad pitch but was competitive. He should be starting a few games a week. We’ve figured out our every day starters; Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Posey, Sandoval, and Uribe. Bochy needs to rotate the last 2 spots between Burrell, Rowand, Ishi, and Renteria from here on out. Nate is a late inning defensive replacement at home and big ballparks, and Rholinger is an emergency play only.

Reletively speaking, the Giants have a good bench. They really don’t need another bat if it costs someone who will help in 2011 or 2012. Let’s add a quality bullpen arm and maybe a lefty to bridge the gap before Affledt & Runzler, who were pitching well before getting hurt, return.

I like our chances if Pablo & Lincecum can return close to their 2009 runs.

Eric

Well played. What impresses me most and holds the most promise for October baseball in my opinion…

Not all the wins they have racked in the last 24 games (with vast majority on road)

BUT it is the fight they have shown in every one of the few losses. I don’t remember too many quiet 9th innings. They are confident and fighting hard until the last strike. That is the mark of a tough team ready to make a run for the playoffs and do some demo once we arrive.

Anyone with me? Go Giants. I too was steaming at Renteria’s K last night but at least we are getting to those situations in the rare losses on this streak.

http://giantshardball.com/ big giant fan

Whole lotta fight lately. Especially in Arizona.
Those Diamondbacks had chances to win but the Ginats held them off and then took the lead a few times. Nice to see. They are building something IMO.